RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2021
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A Circuit City — This design style borrows from history,
specifically British Victoria 18th and 19th centuries.
The historical settings offer a vivid conceptualization
and beautiful exaggeration of technology. Steampunk
design is rooted in science fiction. Its imaginative,
retro-meets-the-future approach has given birth to a
unique aesthetic. Instantly recognizable, steampunk
relies heavily on the marriage of history and steam
powered machinery to create a slick look and feel in
anything it touches.
Challenges: Editing the client's enormous
collection of gears and gadgets to create an
appropriate display; engineering the electrical
through all of the piping and exiting with sockets as
it was being built; design execution was challenging
as so many trades were involved in making everything
operable; attention to details down to the LED and
toilet paper holders.
Solutions: Mapping out the powder bath to
include the client's giant collection of gears, valves,
and phones was done by mapping the piping and
creating spaces for each of his carefully collected
items; the electrical wiring runs were separated and
terminated at the different points in the wall and
ceiling planes; we found antique parts from old
buildings from the same time periods to incorporate;
the wall finish was carefully created to look like metal
panels, and efforts were taken to ensure that it was
not damaged during the pipe installation.
To summarize this space in a few words, it is an
infusion of mechanical and technical elements.
Every trades person on this project was curious,
invested, collaborative, and the result speaks to that.
This bath space is inspiring. We were happy to be
the conductors.
FIRST PLACE / SMALL TRADITIONAL BATH (under 250 sq. ft.)
Jaque Bethke, Owner & Principal Designer,
Jaque Bethke Design
Scottsdale, AZ
